15+ Christmas Stollen Recipe Bread Machine Elevate Your Taste Buds!

Ingredients for Christmas Stollen

For the bread:

- Bread flour: This high-protein flour is essential for creating a sturdy and chewy stollen. - Active dry yeast: This is what will make your bread rise and give it that fluffy texture. - Milk: You can use any type of milk, but whole milk will give your stollen a richer flavor. - Eggs: These will help bind the ingredients together and add moisture to the bread. - Sugar: A touch of sweetness is needed to balance out the tartness of the dried fruits. - Butter: Use unsalted butter for a better control of the salt level in your stollen. - Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom are the classic spices used in stollen, but feel free to experiment with your own blend. - Salt: This will enhance the flavors and balance out the sweetness. - Dried fruits: Traditional stollen uses raisins, currants, and candied citrus peel, but you can mix in your favorite dried fruits like cranberries, cherries, or apricots. - Nuts: Almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts are commonly used in stollen, but you can use any type of nuts you prefer.

For the filling and topping:

- Marzipan: This sweet almond paste is a key component of stollen and adds a decadent touch. - Melted butter: Brushing melted butter on top of the stollen will give it a beautiful golden crust. - Powdered sugar: Dusting the stollen with powdered sugar is the finishing touch that adds a snowy effect and balances out the sweetness.

Instructions for Making Christmas Stollen in a Bread Machine

1. Start by preparing the bread dough in your bread machine. Add all the bread ingredients, except for the dried fruits and nuts, in the order recommended by your machine's manufacturer. 2. Set the machine to the dough cycle and let it run until the first rise is complete. 3. Once the dough is ready, remove it from the machine and place it in a lightly floured surface. Punch down the dough and knead in the dried fruits and nuts until they are evenly distributed. 4. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. 5. Roll out the marzipan into a log, slightly shorter than the length of the dough. 6. Place the marzipan log in the center of the dough and fold the dough over it, sealing the edges. 7. Place the stollen on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it rise for another 30 minutes. 8. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). 9. Once the stollen has risen, brush it with melted butter and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. 10. Let the stollen cool for 10 minutes before dusting it with powdered sugar. 11. Serve and enjoy your homemade Christmas stollen! With this easy bread machine recipe, you can have a delicious and festive stollen ready in no time. The bread machine does all the hard work for you, allowing you to focus on other holiday preparations. Plus, the warm and comforting aroma of freshly baked stollen will fill your home and add to the holiday spirit. Give this recipe a try and impress your loved ones with your baking skills this Christmas.